Literature Reviews

Reviewed research papers, articles, and publications relevant to digital accessibility.

• Reimagining Wearable AR Gesture Design: Physical Therapy Reasoning in Everyday Contexts

  Wei Wu, Binyan Xu, Soonhyeon Kweon, Yujie Wang, Leanne Chukoskie, Casper Harteveld (2026) — Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper reimagines gesture vocabularies for lightweight, everyday augmented reality (AR) glasses — the emerging category of optical see-through wearables (e.g., Snap Spectacles, Meta Orion, Ray-Ban Meta) that are entering consumer and wor…

  • augmented reality
  • gesture interaction
  • wearable technology
  • physical therapy
  • ergonomics
  • motor skills
  • interaction design
  • social acceptability
  • user elicitation

• "It Depends": Re-Authoring Play Through Clinical Reasoning in Wearable AR Rehab Games

  Binyan Xu, Wei Wu, Soonhyeon Kweon, Casper Harteveld, Leanne Chukoskie (2026) — Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper examines how lightweight, glasses-form-factor augmented reality (AR) rehabilitation games can be translated from laboratory prototypes into everyday physical therapy (PT) practice. The authors argue that most AR rehab research has…

  • augmented reality
  • rehabilitation
  • physical therapy
  • clinical reasoning
  • embodied interaction
  • serious games
  • gesture interaction
  • wearable technology
  • spatial computing
  • co-design

• A Tactile Windowing System for Blind Users

  Denise Prescher, Gerhard Weber, Martin Spindler (2010) — Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This paper from Technische Universität Dresden presents the Braille Window System (BWS), a windowing interface designed for a large planar tactile display — the BrailleDis9000, a touch-sensitive pin-matrix of 120 columns and 60 rows (7,200 pins). Sta…

  • braille
  • tactile display
  • tactile graphics
  • gesture interaction
  • blindness
  • screen reader
  • windowing system
  • GUI accessibility
  • pin-matrix display
  • multitouch

• System-class Accessibility: The Architectural Support for Making a Whole System Usable by People with Disabilities

  Chris Fleizach, Jeffrey P. Bigham (2024) — ACM Queue

  This article introduces the concept of "system-class accessibility" — the architectural support built into an operating system to make the entire platform usable by people with disabilities. Written by Chris Fleizach (who led the development of Voice…

  • accessibility API
  • screen readers
  • VoiceOver
  • iOS accessibility
  • operating systems
  • platform accessibility
  • gesture interaction
  • system architecture
  • assistive technology
  • mobile accessibility

• Move&Flick: Design and Evaluation of a Single-Finger and Eyes-Free Kana-Character Entry Method on Touch Screens

  Ryosuke Aoki, Ryo Hashimoto, Akihiro Miyata, Shunichi Seko, Masahiro Watanabe, Masayuki Ihara (2014) — Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS '14)

  This demonstration paper presents Move&Flick, a Japanese Kana-character text entry method designed for visually impaired users on touchscreen devices. Standard touchscreen text entry for visually impaired people is burdensome: users must explore the …

  • text entry
  • touchscreen accessibility
  • visual impairment
  • mobile accessibility
  • gesture interaction
  • Japanese accessibility
  • eyes-free interaction
  • input methods

• The Gest-Rest: A Pressure-Sensitive Chairable Input Pad for Power Wheelchair Armrests

  Patrick Carrington, Amy Hurst, Shaun K. Kane (2014) — Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper introduces the Gest-Rest, a pressure-sensitive input device designed to fit over a standard power wheelchair armrest, enabling users to perform touch and gesture interactions without needing to reach for or hold a separate device. The conc…

  • wheelchair accessibility
  • alternative input
  • gesture interaction
  • motor disability
  • pressure input
  • assistive technology
  • chairable technology
  • spinal cord injury

• Design of and Subjective Response to On-body Input for People with Visual Impairments

  Uran Oh, Leah Findlater (2014) — Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper investigates on-body input — using the skin as an input surface — as an alternative or complement to touchscreen interaction for people with visual impairments. Since blind users do not need the visual display of a mobile device, on-body i…

  • mobile accessibility
  • on-body interaction
  • gesture interaction
  • blindness
  • wearable technology
  • eyes-free interaction
  • social acceptability
  • input methods

• Sequential Gestural Passcodes on Google Glass

  Abdullah Ali (2015) — ASSETS '15: Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This poster paper presents a prototype authentication system using Google Glass to help people with visual impairments access online accounts while protecting against shoulder surfing attacks. The author identifies two intersecting problems: blind us…

  • blindness
  • authentication
  • security
  • wearable computing
  • gesture interaction
  • Google Glass
  • password
  • shoulder surfing

• Gesture-based Interaction for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities in India

  Sumita Sharma, Saurabh Srivastava, Krishnaveni Achary, Blessin Varkey, Tomi Heimonen, Jaakko Hakulinen, Markku Turunen, Nitendra Rajput (2016) — Proceedings of the 18th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '16)

  This full paper presents the design, development, and evaluation of Kirana, a Kinect-based gesture application that simulates purchasing groceries from a local Indian kirana (grocery) store to teach life skills to individuals with developmental disab…

  • developmental disability
  • gesture interaction
  • educational technology
  • cognitive accessibility
  • independent living
  • Global South accessibility
  • self-efficacy
  • Down syndrome
  • autism
  • participatory design

• Designing Wearable Mobile Device Controllers for Blind People: A Co-Design Approach

  Catherine Feng (2016) — Proceedings of the 18th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '16)

  This poster paper explores the design space of wearable controllers that enable blind people to operate their smartphones more efficiently while on the go, without needing to directly interact with the phone's touchscreen. Blind people rely heavily o…

  • blindness
  • wearable technology
  • mobile accessibility
  • co-design
  • interaction design
  • screen reader
  • gesture interaction
  • on-body interaction